Scrolling through my Facebook feed on Sunday August 23, I learned that what was trending was a high school marching band in Mississippi that had prevented from performing during halftime at their football game because show had “How Great Thou art”. They were told to that by playing “How Great Thou Art” they violated a court order. According to foxnews.com, the district had wrote a statement that the band will not be able to perform during halftime like they had practiced all summer due to an incident that happened in 2013 where, one student, just one, was offended by Christian meetings on campus and felt that the meetings violated his first amendment right. Therefore, he proceeded to sue the school district of Rankin County in Mississippi. O the irony, when the U.S. district Court Judge Carlton Reeves, made an order, which I included from the foxnews.com article;
“Defendants are permanently enjoined from including prayer, religious sermons or activities in any school sponsored event including but not limited to assemblies, graduations, award ceremonies, athletic events and any other school event,” the order reads.
Based on this order, two years later, the marching band was prevented from having their performance because it included a gospel song. Justice prevails once again; note the sarcasm.
The most ridiculous thing about this whole situation is that one student, one in many, made one complaint. He or she felt his or her first amendment right was violated. I’m sorry, student, whoever you are, but do you know what the first amendment states? It states the freedom of exercising religion. The fact that the Rankin County School Board and District agreed with the lawsuit once again proves, what is so wrong with this country. How can a student, not two, not a thousand, but one student, a minority out of the majority sue the school and suddenly it is gospel that religious sermons are not accepted on campus? Not to mention, those involved in religious life had their first amendment right violated as well. Does not the judge in his court order, violate the first amendment of all Christians on the campus? Are we blind in this country that we do not see the hypocrisy that is called justice?
I’m honestly sorry for people like that student who felt the need to ostracize Christianity from his or her campus. People like the student feel attacked by Christianity, not because they were physically or even emotionally attacked by those who practice it in any way or form but because they feel threatened, and therefore want to eliminate that threat. And I am sorry that the U.S. District Court Judge does not know the meaning of fair ruling, and has failed through his ruling to protect the right of the people that helped get him into office. I am sorry that by his ruling, he shows himself to be a hypocrite in the highest form.
How can one person deny others their faith in favor of his or her fear? How can this happen in a land that is supposedly full of freedom? How do we let this happen to us as people? How do Christians let this happen? And why, please tell me why, is it that it is always the minority that gets to have their way, but the majority sit back and put our legs up and say, there’s nothing we can do about it.
I am proud of the voice during Friday night’s game at Brandon High School in Mississippi, that started singing the words to “Our Great Thou Art” during halftime. Whoever that was, thank you. And God Bless You.
